The Lords of the Wind: A Historical Novel of the Viking Age (The Saga of Hasting the Avenger Book 1)
“A vivid depiction of the ancient world in the Viking Age.” — Reader Review
Before he was the scourge of the Somme and Loire, and a terror to the Carolingian Empire, Hasting was a boy with no name and no future.
The Lords of the Wind reimagines the origins of the historically documented warlord Hasting. Rising from the depths of slavery in Ireland, Hasting’s journey is one of survival and the search for identity in a changing world where populations are on the move and disparate cultures are colliding.
Drawing on primary sources from the 9th-century chronicles, this novel explores the clash between Norse pagans and Early Medieval Christians. It is as much an adventure as a psychological deep-dive into the man who would eventually challenge the most powerful rulers in Christendom.
The History behind The lords of the Wind
The historical foundation of The Lords of the Wind lies in the fragmented geopolitical landscape of ninth-century Europe, where the waning authority of the Carolingian Empire struggled to secure its frontiers against the rising tide of Viking expansion. Central to this narrative is the reimagined early life of the documented warlord Hasting, whose presence in the Loire River Valley and the Armorican peninsula signaled a shift from sporadic coastal raiding to strategic territorial engagement. This opening novel is a coming-of-age tale that places Hastings’s arrival in Brittany around 828 AD, a period defined by the rise of Nominoë, the “Father of the Land,” who used his position as an imperial official to unify a decentralized coalition of independent Breton chiefdoms. The setting reflects a culturally bifurcated landscape divided by the Breton March—a militarized buffer zone designed to contain the rebellious Brythonic-speaking west from the more Latinized Gallo-speaking east. By placing Hasting at pivotal moments, such as the founding of the Abbey of Redon in 832 AD, which would become a centralized administrative hub established by the priest Conwoïon to bridge regional hostilities, the story explores the intersection of Viking ambition and the birth of Breton identity and sovereignty.
Furthermore, the novel highlights the economic imperatives of the Viking Age, particularly the strategic pursuit of “white gold,” or salt. The raid on the wealthy salt-producing island of Bouin, inspired by the documented sack of Bundium in 820 AD, catalyzes Hasting’s transition from a captive survivor to a maritime predator capable of exploiting the essential commodities that fueled the Vikings’ transcontinental trade networks. While this interpretation of Hasting’s origins draws on modern scholarship, it aligns narratively with the eleventh-century writings of Raoul Glaber. Though Glaber’s accounts are scrutinized by historians for their later composition and potential biases, they provide fertile ground for fiction by placing Hasting at the center of the region’s formative politics. While not strictly historically accurate, it does lend to the mystique of the legendary Hasting, which Adrien had embraced in his epic narratives. By weaving Hasting into the foundational struggles of the ninth-century Breton and Frankish nobility, the narrative establishes the deep-seated regional ties that explain his frequent and persistent presence in the Loire and Brittany throughout the remainder of the century.